2000
#13,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,021
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Wildes
Derived from a place name or a nickname for a wild or uncivilized person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,335 Americans carry the last name Wildes. That puts it at #14,159 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,790 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wildes surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wildes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 146,790
Census rank
#14,159
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,036 bearers of the surname Wildes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14159th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wildes, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wildes
The surname Wildes originated from the Anglo-Saxon words 'wildor' meaning wild and 'deor' meaning beast or animal. It was initially a descriptive name given to someone who lived near the woods or had a wild temperament. The name can be traced back to the 7th century in England.
Historically, the name Wildes first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England after the Norman Conquest. The early recordings included Willelmus filius Wilderi in Yorkshire and Wildeorus in Lincolnshire.
By the 13th century, variations of the name like Wilde, Wyld, and Wylde were common in areas such as Sussex, Essex, and Hertfordshire. The name was often associated with places like Wildridge in Hertfordshire and Wildwood in Sussex.
One of the earliest recorded people with the surname Wildes was William Wilde (c.1260-1321), a landowner and nobleman from Gloucestershire. Another notable figure was John Wilde (1590-1668), an English mathematician and lawyer who served as a judge during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, Thomas Wilde (1721-1799) was a renowned English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of England. His son, Thomas Wilde (1782-1855), followed in his footsteps and became a prominent barrister and judge.
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), the famous Irish playwright and novelist, was one of the most renowned individuals with the surname Wildes. His works, including The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest, have had a lasting impact on literature and popular culture.
Another notable figure was Sir William Wilde (1815-1876), an Irish surgeon and author who was Oscar Wilde's father. He made significant contributions to the fields of medicine and archaeology in Ireland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wildes
Among Census respondents with the surname Wildes, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Wildes bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Wildes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 1,840
- Two or more races3.3% · 67
- Black or African American3.2% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wildes
Wildes appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,081
+60 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 620 places
2020
#14,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,036
-45 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 209 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,748 | 2,021 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,368 | 2,081 | 0.71 | +60 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 620 places |
| 2020 | #14,159 | 2,036 | 0.68 | -45 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 209 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Wildes surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,368 | #14,159 | 1.5% |
| Count | 2,081 | 2,036 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.68 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wildes bearers went from 2,081 to 2,036 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 209 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,368 to #14,159.
FAQ
Wildes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wildes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,335 living Americans carry the surname Wildes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,790 residents.
How common is Wildes?
Wildes ranks #14,159 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,036 people with the surname Wildes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,335), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wildes.
Has Wildes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wildes went from 2,081 recorded bearers to 2,036. That is a decrease of 45 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,368 to #14,159.
What does the Census say about the background of Wildes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wildes, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (3.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Wildes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (1,840 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wildes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Black (3.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Wildes (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Wildes mean?
Derived from a place name or a nickname for a wild or uncivilized person. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Wildes (0.68 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Wildes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.